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Feel Good Focus - April

April's Feel Good Focus is all about techniques to help you relax during your exams.

Relax. You deserve it, it's good for you, and it takes less time than you think.

Top tips for relaxing:

Meditate: A few minutes of practice per day can help ease anxiety. Why not go to the Buddhist meditation class running every Monday on Frenchay Campus?

Breathe deeply: Take a 5-minute break and focus on your breathing. Sit up straight, eyes closed, with a hand on your belly. Slowly inhale through your nose, feeling the breath start in your abdomen and work its way to the top of your head. Reverse the process as you exhale through your mouth.

Be present: Slow down. Take 5 minutes and focus on only one behaviour with awareness. Notice how the air feels on your face when you're walking and how your feet feel hitting the ground. Enjoy the texture and taste of each bite of food.

Reach out: Your social network is one of your best tools for handling stress. Talk to others -- preferably face to face, or at least on the phone. Share what's going on. You can get a fresh perspective while keeping your connection strong.

It's hard to change our habits. That is why it is important to create good habits now! &quot;We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit"-Aristotle. Change yourself for the better today, in order to create a happier and healthier future.